Bridges, J. L., Home Place
Also known as: Louie Bridges House
Why it's listed
North of Lexington in Oglethorpe County stands a small, plain one-and-a-half-story frame house that deeds show was standing by 1795. Long thought to have begun as a log cabin, it appears instead to be heavily framed, with two original rooms built several years apart. The west room has fine woodworking: wide beaded pine walls, beaded rafters, a Flemish bond chimney with a small lozenge of grey headers, and an enclosed paneled staircase to the loft. A small door under the stair has panels with a flame-like grain pattern. The nomination treats these features as rare in Georgia, and the chimney design as the earliest of its kind yet found there. Later additions include a front bedroom, a rear kitchen wing and a pantry, but the house is otherwise little changed. In 1872 J. L. Bridges bought the tract, and his family has kept it since. The house is one of very few 18th-century survivors in the county.
Significance in brief: It is one of fewer than a handful of surviving 18th-century houses in Oglethorpe County and the Piedmont, and it shows some of the best workmanship. The enclosed paneled stair may be unique in Georgia, as may the flame design in the panels of the small door beneath it. The Flemish bond chimney carries a lozenge of grey headers, described as the earliest such design yet discovered in Georgia.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78000999, listed January 31, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N of Lexington on GA 22, Lexington |
|---|---|
| County | Oglethorpe County |
| Listed | January 31, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000999 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architectural style | Small plain style framed house |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; condition marked good and altered. Additions include a front bedroom, a rear kitchen wing and pantry, and a shed room. Late 19th-century locks and shingles replaced the originals. |
| Acreage | 8 |
| Coordinates | 33.93457, -83.02436 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78000999.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.